Editorial | Cancer survivors are entitled to quality care

The imbalance in the provision of public and private healthcare in Hong Kong has long been recognised. It was thrown into sharp relief during the pandemic, when public hospitals were overwhelmed.

One of the strategies adopted to ease the burden on the public health service is the development of public-private partnerships. The scope of these arrangements, which allow public sector patients to consult private doctors at subsidised rates, has grown in recent years.

The latest expansion will allow some cancer survivors, whose conditions have stabilised, to seek follow-up consultations from private doctors. This is a welcome move. Cancer survivors have already endured the trauma of diagnosis and treatment. They are entitled to timely, quality services for their subsequent assessments.

The new arrangements will begin with lymphoma patients and are expected to start in the first half of next year.

The partnerships allow patients with certain chronic conditions to be referred by public doctors to private practitioners of their choice, receiving up to 10 subsidised visits a year.